Huffington Post Business Editor Peter Goodman wrote a provocative column today. It was no Esquire “Have More Satisfying Sex Than DSK”, but it did compare Republicans to terrorists.

“The same Republicans who have so eagerly prosecuted the war on terror, running up huge deficits in the process, are now behaving like the enemies on which they have squandered so much blood and treasure: They are acting like terrorists. Yes, terrorists.”

Apparently hyperbole does not fly at the new, grown-up AOL HuffPost. A few hours later, the headline downgraded “terrorism” to a mere “hostage” situation and the column’s lede was rewritten. The toned down Mr. Goodman wrote:

“In refusing to lift the nation’s debt ceiling without first extracting spending cuts, Republicans are in essence threatening to obliterate the underpinnings of the global financial system -- the bed-rock faith that, come what may, Uncle Sam always makes good. How can any rational negotiation take place in the face of such a threat?”